100 Women We Love, Queer Women We Love, Wonder Women

100 Women We Love 2012

June 15, 2012 Destiny Dejesus

“Knowing that my election showed Charlotteans and the world that we are not bound by discrimination wakes me every morning with pride,” proclaims LaWana Mayfield, the City Council representative for District 3 in Charlotte, NC, and the city’s first openly gay elected official. Last November, she trounced her Republican opponent in the council election with 78 percent of the vote, replacing an eight-year incumbent. Now, continuously building on her 15 years of activism, her other leadership posts include the Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Relations Committee, Mecklenburg County Development Corp. Board, Smart Start Board and the Charlotte Lesbian and Gay Fund Board of Advisors. Prior to the election, Mayfield took an active role in LGBT activism as the Human Rights Campaign’s Diversity Co-Chair. “I believe that my role, along with growing the City of Charlotte, is to open the door for LGBTQ dialogue and to create pathways to service. I have this amazing opportunity to help direct the growth of the City of Charlotte through my vote,” Mayfield says. “I am right where I am supposed to be, and I love my job!”

Drum roll, please! We’re excited to present this year’s 100 Women We Love—our most diverse group of out entertainers, artists, athletes, activists, business principals and elected officials yet. Each of these women is a superstar in her own right. Their achievements and contributions shape our lives —and elevate us in the eyes of the world . They’re working to raise LGBT awareness, increase our visibility and quicken our progress toward a just society.

We are extremely proud to present the class of 2012. There are no rankings or numbers. They are all leaders.

Shirin Papillon
“For me, creating an LGBT business without LGBT advocacy means nothing,” Shirin Papillon says. “I feel a huge responsibility to the community and completely believe that we can change the world together.” At the crossroads of the technology and entertainment industries, Papillon created “the perfect convergence” by launching the San Francisco-based website One More Lesbian (OML), the world’s leading lesbian media aggregator—featuring film, television, web series and video on demand. Always a committed advocate of LGBT rights, Papillon promotes a two-fold mission of visibility and accessibility, allowing lesbians worldwide to see themselves portrayed in meaningful, personal ways. She explains that the concept which inspired One More Lesbian is how much a single voice can make a difference, “that if each of us stood up proudly, one by one we would become a powerhouse of a global community.” Papillon and her OML team are doing just that. “I think we’re at the beginning of something very big,” she continues. “Our voices are now heard louder and stronger than ever and there’s no turning back.”